unlikely encounter.

JP: RedSword, Farrell, Havtlad, TheGrayCleric, Lily
As they follow Rowan serenity remained quiet and close to her master. Anto could likely sense her anxiety as well as some cerosity. With the task of finding Quint over She now had nothing to occupy her mind. So she was free to pay attention to the town around them. How the people interacted with one another where buildings were and so on.

When they reached the droids. she had never seen droids before. At least not like the ones in front of them. She unconsciously grabbed the sleeve of her master's robe. She felt something was wrong. As for what she had no idea. Until a man came running out of the canteen and was shot by either Rowan or the droids. As the stranger fell she let go of Anto’s sleeve and reached for her lightsaber. She wondered if more hostile individuals would appear.

Anto, as well felt highly uneasy, something was about to happen and it was not going to be nice. When Serenity grabbed his sleeve, he subconsciously pushed her back slightly to place himself as a shield between her and whatever was coming. His hand went for his lightsaber at the same time as Serenity’s hand left his sleeve. He didn’t ignite the blade though, only held it, ready.

At first the Mandalorian said nothing just looking at the droids then back at the man. As the droids seem to be no threat to them Rowan put his blasters away. “Well that's great. That was one of my contacts.” He turned to the droids “who was our target?” he asks. He pulls out a round device showing an image on it. “was it him?” asked the Mandalorian.

“Identify yourself.” Declared the 8 droids in union, half keeping their weapons trained on the entrance to the cantena, gunning down any other beings trying to leave, the other half turning to the Mandalorian but keeping their weapons slightly lowered. “Identify yourself Mandalorian.” Cohort demanded again.

Anto did not let go of his weapon, but turned his head a bit so he could talk to Serentiy without letting the droids out of his sight. “Let’s leave this to the mando, but don’t put that thing away just yet. I’ve heard that these things can get pretty nasty sometimes. Did your old master train you to deflect blaster bolts?”
bounty per say. Who hired you the black sun or Hutts?” he glanced at Quint as he
“ Yes i can deflect Blaster bolts Master” she said with a smile that was one thing she was actually good at. She watched quietly as the mandalorian spoke to the Droids.

Questioning to himself, are they smarter than a bucket of bolts. “Rowan, I am not after your kill. I am seeking this man. Now answer the question.”

Quint walked over to one of them guarding the door and started looking it over. “Hum,” she said as she looked it up and down. Stating the obvious, “Well, someone removed the restraining bolts on these puppies.” She stayed out the way of its gun and in a position that a different droid would need to shoot her. It would be a small moral victory.
“Rowan! Can I take one of these apart?” she asked, trying to diffuse some tension. “This one needs to be repaired,” she said, still not touching the droid.

The Mandalorian still watching the droids. “not now!” he said to quint angrily.

“Any attempt to disassemble this unit will result in your immediate termination!” Barked the droid Quint had been eyeing, it and another turning their weapons on the Jedi. The droid directly in front of Rowan cocked its head at him, an odd gesture for such a droid, and continued in its monotone voice. “I am afraid we have already collected the bounty from the bar, we are unwilling to split the credit reward, do not attempt to seize the claim for yourself.” After looking briefly at the image, and making a few strange beeping noises, the droid answered his initial question with. “The organic in this image was among those we terminated in the cantena, what was your purpose with this individual?”

Quint looked at the droid and continued to move checking it out and not touching it. She said in a matter of fact tone, “That is highly unlikely and unnecessary.” Then added, “I fix drones.” She started to walk back over near Rowan to listen. She wasn’t trying to pick a fight with the droids or being aggressive. She just needed to put a hand on them and she would be able to use the force to read their history. But this was not the place…

Rawon was silent for a moment deciding if it was wise to tell the droid. “The purpose with this individual was formation. He was a broker of information for me. Who hired you Black Son or Hutts?” he asks.

Watching Quint walking back over. “You're learning young, one dont get involved unless you need too.” The Mandalorian said to Quint.

Quint smiled at him, from his comment she was sure she was going to get schooled later. But, it showed he wasn’t going to hand her over at this point. She watched the other to Jedi as they were waiting for hell to break loose.

She said to Master Anto, “It is not my place. But, if she would relax a little and trust in what she learned...” Master Anto let out a sigh, something that her master, may he be one in the force now, did all the time when she tried to “improve” things or butt in.
“ my original master is dead I have not trained in two years” Serenity said.

Anto nodded at Serenity’s statement, but remained turned toward Quint. “Please excuse her inexperience. We’re not particularly used to cantina staredowns.” He said, offering her a slight smile.

She said what her master would always say, “I know, watch and learn…” She sounded like a padawan, which she was till her master’s death. For which there was a bounty on her head for murder. She started to do the breathing to keep her mind calm. She pulled her hood up, for the two people on the planet that hadn’t seen her.

“What is this information worth to you Mandalorian?” Quizzed the droid, the other 7 asking the same question at the same time in a disconcerting display of synchronicity. “It is against standard procedure to disclose the details of a bounty to a third party.” While this exchange was going on, the 2 droids that had been facing Quint slowly tracked her until she was deemed a non threat, at this point they focused their attention back on the cantena.

“ something is off about them” serenity said quietly. Then she suddenly grabbed her masters arm suddenly.” Masters do you feel that it’s so dark and cold” she said suddenly distracted. The fealI got was so much like the inquisitor.” You don’t think it’s…” she started then broke off. Her senses were clouded by her emotions.

“Serenity, they’re droids...” Anto said, trying to sound calming, but noticed something was off with his new apprentice. Bringing up her old master in such a tense situation had been too much for her. She couldn’t even tell the difference between the cold nothingness of a droid and the pulsating darkness of an inquisitor.
He spun around, his robes flowing through the air. Then he grabbed her right arm, the arm she clutched her weapon in. The last thing they needed was a padawan swinging that lethal blade around uncontrollably.

“ It's not coming from the droid's master, I'm not crazy” she said trying to pull her hand free. “It's coming from that way,” she said, pointing with her other hand behind her. She was completely lost how he could not feel that darkness. “ you both are in danger, why don't you believe me?” she said on the verge of tears.

Blinking twice, Anto opened up his mind to the rest of the world and felt the darkness pour over him like a wave. He let go of Serenity’s arm and placed his big, meaty hand on the side of her head, covering almost all of it. He bent down and stared directly into her eyes.
“Serenity, look at me. Look into my eyes and don’t look away.” He said, his voice no longer calming, but demanding. “You know that darkness, you’ve felt the dark side before. You need to shut it out of your mind. Your master must’ve shown you how before he died.” She shook her head. “ I don't remember and how do you keep track of where it is if you block it out. However it is could sneak up and surprise us” she said confused.
“You do not need to keep track of it, trust in the Force. You need to focus on what is happening here and now. Look at me” He noticed Serenity’s eyes starting to wander. “Focus on me, of the Mandalorian, or the droids if it helps. Focus. Shut the dark side out, don’t even give it a thought.” Anto kept his gaze locked into Serenity’s eyes. He knew full well that she would need to learn how to shut the dark side out without limiting her senses in this way. But her reaction to feeling that familiar darkness told him that they had no time for lessons at the moment. “Don’t even think about it.”

Serenity nodded, took several deep breaths and tried to focus on master Tyandas. “Master, are you afraid?” she asked. She had picked up on something in him but was not sure what it was definitely not the clam she expected.
“I…” Anto hesitated. “You are afraid… of what?” she said with concern in her voice the darkness completely forgotten.

Anto’s mouth moved, opened and closed as if it was trying to speak but didn’t know what to say. He stood stunned and silent for a few heartbeats. Was he… Afraid? Had he himself given in to the fear that ultimately led to the dark side, the fear and the anger that had swallowed his former apprentice whole and made him do horrible things in a time when death and sadness and loss was everywhere? He was trying to help Serenity shut the dark side out, for her own good, so she could stay on the light path… Because he was afraid to lose her? To the dark side? Another one..?

Quint did not want to really get in the way of her training, “Serenity, fear is not the enemy. It causes you to be alert. The potential for the dark side is in all of us too. But we don’t need to let it be our master.” She gently pushed the feeling of love that she had for her master towards her to calm the fear and draw her into the battle sense she had brought up. The master’s inner worry was there as well. But the love she felt for the man that had trained her, his worry that her love for technology would push her to the dark side, and her determination to do the next right thing was fully in the connection.

Serenity looked to Quint somthing about what the other jedi said made sense to her. “ but the last time I came face to face with an inquisitor he killed my master. I could not stop him. I failed. I Don't want to fail and lose another master” she said finally voicing her fear.

Quint got a very serious look on her face and said,”In all your training have you not learned that it is not about that? My master taught me the battle we fight is not outside of us but inside. You did not fail your master if you truly tryed, you still haven’t failed him if you keep learning. The same is true when a Palawan goes to the dark side, the master tries, but the battle is the padawan’s.”

“Master Paren would not even let me fight. He made me promise to stay hidden. I did until Master Tyandas found and rescued me from the imperials. Master always said that we are peacekeepers and its are job to stop the sith. I never understood why we stayed hidden. ” she said.

“Because fighting to win a war, and fighting for survival are two very different things.”
Anto had regained his senses, and was looking straight at Serenity. There was something different about his eyes, some measure of confidence that had disappeared.

“Are you going to answer my question now? Master, what are you afraid of” she said. For the first time since Anto meet her she was strangely calm.

Anto bent down slightly so he and Serenity became equally tall. He looked into her eyes and it became apparent that he’d come to some horrible insight during his brief breakdown. He spoke to her in a calm, soft voice.
“It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you all about it when I can… I used to have an apprentice, years ago, during the war. He.. He could not withstand the temptation of the dark side. So when I felt your presence I think along with a spark of hope, it also sparked fear. Fear that I might lose another apprentice to the dark side.”
Serenity hugged him.” Its ok master i'm not going anywhere near the dark side all that is down that path is pain and suffering.” she said, trying to reassure Anto. Stunned at first, Anto folded his arms around Serenity for a brief moment. He felt like a terrible weight had begun to lift from his chest.

Rowan looked at the droid then grunted “I will put this as easy as I can for your little droid brains. You just took out my bounty” he says angrily. “Now if I am correct and I am never wrong it was not the Hutts that hired you it was the Black Sun. With the Timing of are arrival and your bounty. Leads me to believe this was no accident. Everyone that would be involved with a man called” he lowers his voice. “Colonel Icerraine, ends up dead. He doesn't keep loose ends. The Hutts don't do business with him anymore because he kills everyone he contracts with or knows him or knows the job.” Rowan pauses looking around then continues. “Now you are on that list trust me when I say he will destroy droids with no problem. The Black Sun will say nothing of it or do it themselves for the money.” Rowan looks around again pusing looking at the shops. “Do you understand better with the little droid brain.” Rowan says.

Quint felt wha Serenity was talking about. She turned brushing his arm lightly as she pulled her main weapon and let him know she was moving behind him, “Someone is coming.” She calmed her breathing and started to focus, taking in the sense of where everything was, letting the force show her the paths.

from an alley to the left of Quint, a blaster rifle bolt took flight. Being open to the force, it felt it took weeks to get close. She lit her dual blades and reached out and deflected the shot meant for Rowan back into the alley from where it came. There was some cursing and someone scattered.
“Friend of yours?” She asked Rowan, she had lost the snarkiness in her tone and was serious.

Hearing the pop of the blaster bolt he turned and rolled coming back up in another pace. He fired with the droids several shots. He wondered who was faster, the Jedi or him?

“Your kind are as blunt and dull as we have heard, as are your threats, we do not ask who levies our bounties and we have worked with our employer before.” Replied the droids, again in unison, and somehow sounding condescending despite the monotone synthetic voice. Any further retorts to the Mandalorian were halted by the blaster bolt fired from the alley. “Threat detected, securing position.” They announced in unison, ducking down and spreading out, the 2 closest to the alley sending a rapid deluge of blaster fire at whatever was unfortunate enough to not be in cover. At the edge of the settlement the remaining 4 droids embarked on the Flarestar and began take off procedures. “We will continue this when the threat has passed Mandalorian.” Were the last words offered before the droids settled into their defensive positions.

Rowen touched his comms panel on his wrist “RED” he yelled as a Droid came from another ally. The large black droid “Missed them Master Rowan, It was a speeder and gone before I could get there” said the large rescue medical droid RED-1.
Rowan walked over to the droid “we really need to work on that RED!” Rowan said furiously to the droid’s face. “why do I have you around if you can’t even help.” Then Rowan turned to Quint “thank you” he said as he walked by her. He could see no one was hurt. “I think we all should go back to my ship for now it looks like I have drawn some heat.” He says to the others. “Quint! We are leaving back to the ship.” He orders. The large droid falls in behind everyone walking with them.

Quint smiled slightly. Then fell into the procession as she doused her saber. “I have a few ideas that might help…” she turned to the two remaining droids and asked, “Are you coming? We need to go find your friends?”

At this moment the blue and grey Flarestar was ready to depart, as soon as the droids onboard confirmed this the 8 in the settlement began a ‘retreat’ the the ship, though given they didn’t come under any attack on the way, it ended up just being a group of overly cautious and heavily armed droid moving from cover to cover to the edge of town.

Serenity looked to master Anto. “ should we follow them master” she was of course referring to Quint and the mandalorian.
“Mm, I think we better. It would really be a shame to lose them now.” Anto replied and Followed the other Jedi and her Mandalorian friend with his apprentice just one step behind.